


Identity Thief Zelnite Strikes!!

by Dreamtiel



Category: Brave Frontier
Genre: (I still don't know how to do tags), (does that count), (towards the end anyway), M/M, One Shot, Suggestive Themes, slight crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-01 11:22:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13997229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamtiel/pseuds/Dreamtiel
Summary: How hard can it possibly be to steal someone's identity? As Zelnite finds out, it's harder than you may think when you unintentionally steal something else along with it...





	Identity Thief Zelnite Strikes!!

**Author's Note:**

> I found this one-shot sitting in the middle of all my notes from who-knows-how-long-ago. I kinda liked how it was turning out, so I thought I could touch it up a bit and finally share it with the world. Of course, it's a shame that currently there's barely much of a fandom for Brave Frontier. But hey, if I'm still here after so long, there's gotta be some hope, right?

Clear skies and warm sun. Light breeze, bright day. Surely this was the sign of a perfect day in Agni. Even with how crowded the markets streets were on days like today, there was still that charming, friendly atmosphere that made Agni such a popular tourist destination. On such a day, a certain pair of sky travelers had decided to have lunch at a certain famous restaurant, the ever-popular Lan-Lan. 

"Felt like it's been forever since we came here, eh, Falma?" Grafl beamed, prodding his friend in the side as they walked in the shade.

"Mm--” Falma nearly stumbled at the nudge, before smiling. “Yeah. Let's pick up the pace before the place gets crowded again." As they strolled along, however, one particular store caught Grafl’s eye. He gently tugged Falma’s arm, capturing his attention once more.

"Actually, could you go on ahead? I'm just gonna check out that shop over there while it’s not crowded..." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing to a nearby airship shop.

"That shop again? Well... all right, but don't take too long."

"Thanks, Falma~"

With that, the two separated, with Grafl heading to the little store across the way and Falma heading to the lovely, rightfully-famous restaurant just a few blocks down.

But unbeknownst to the two men, they were being watched... From around the corner of a nearby alleyway awaited a man of soon-to-be great fame and fortune. (Well, even greater fame and fortune, that is.) His blue-eyed gaze, turned black for the time being with some cheap contact lenses from a nearby store, followed the infamous Sky Pirate as he exited stage left. Perfect. 

The Great Thief Zelnite, dressed in attire just like Grafl's, dropped down from the tree, yellow scarf covering up to his nose in a totally not-awkward way. It was all too easy to play the disguise game when your next victim did laundry out in the open. "Hmm... Yup, of all my disguises, this one is definitely the most comfortable," he chuckled to himself as he sauntered his way down the street, hidden from the views of passersby, and into the restaurant, fixing his gait once in view of other people. He adjusted the gloves he wore as he scanned the area for that messy-haired partner of Grafl’s...

"Grafl, over here!" Falma called from the bar next to the kitchen window. Zelnite grinned and went over, taking a seat. Too easy. "That was awfully fast."

"Oh, you know me,” he laughed. “Didn't wanna keep you waiting." Falma smiled, opening his mouth to say something, but didn't get a chance to as the chef and waitress, Lancia, came up. 

"Hi!~" she chirped with a grin. "Welcome to Lan-Lan! It's been a while, you two!"

"Hey Lancia, good to see you," Falma greeted. "The usual, please. It's all great, here."

"I'll have the same." He winked at Lancia, who only kept her smile and nodded before retreating to the kitchen behind the bar. Perfect, even she didn’t recognize anything off about his disguise. Not that he had any doubts that he could imitate someone as easy to figure out as Grafl, of course.

"Say, heard anything interesting lately?" Zelnite asked Lancia from across the room. He had really only come in Grafl's place to hear rumors. It was no secret that he was a pirate, an outlaw to Atharva. Well, at least one that strived to do good in spite of his reputation. Word just spread that quickly and widely. Logically, if anybody wanted to know anything about any potentially shiny baubles to be stolen, it would definitely be him.

It had been what you could call a “dry season” of sorts for Zelnite. So many treasures from corrupt nobles to steal, and so little time. If he wanted to make a real impact, he’d have to aim big and strike as soon as possible.

"The latest rumors?" Lancia giggled as she worked her culinary magic. Falma just looked at them oddly, his gaze soon fixated on his partner’s imposter. "Well, I guess...there's the blight on Bariura's land."

She paused as she continued stir-frying something in her pan. Zelnite instinctively leaned forward in his chair. Bariura? This should be interesting. He didn't concern himself much with how...strangely Falma was looking at him, although he did feel a tingle run down his neck. It was as if Falma were intrigued by the thief's own intrigue.

"The Bariura Empire... Have you heard much about it, Falma?" He turned his attention to the knight, a bit wary with how intensely he was looking him in the eye.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I've heard of that. I heard the Bariura Empire's involved in some suspicious stuff... Government corruption, possible forbidden experiments, maybe even some dabbling with the gods themselves."

"It's just a rumor, though," Lancia reminded them with a giggle as she came back out with their lunches.

"But that's awful if it's true," Falma muttered. "They should protect, not harm people." Typical, coming from him. At least, from the rumors Zelnite heard, he knew how justice-driven Falma was.

"...seriously." Zelnite shook his head as he stared at the food in front of him. Fried rice and pork stir fry? This was the usual? What kind of taste did Grafl have?! It was as horrible as his (admittedly comfortable) fashion sense!

"Um, Grafl? You've been intensely staring at your rice for a minute now..." Falma whispered.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, just thinking. It's just... That Bariura, right?"

The knight nodded as he swallowed, finishing his plate at an alarming rate. "I want to help, even as an outsider..." He kept his gaze on "Grafl," as if suspicious. Yet Zelnite was certain he was keeping a decent front. Surely Falma couldn’t have recognized anything off this early in the game, right? But then, why was he staring at him so intensely…?

"It hurts people in the blighted lands," the thief simply said. "Somebody has to do something...right?"

Falma smiled with determination. "Yeah... We could help them!"

"I should be doing something for them!"

"Yeah...! We could!"

"So long as evil runs rampant," he started, voice rising, "I steal!!"

"Ye-- wait, what?"

"Er, nothing!" Zelnite quickly cleared his throat, flushing lightly under his scarf. He tried to focus on eating, making sure his scarf wasn’t too low so as to give away his identity. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was being stared at…

… and he was. His eyes widened slightly as he once again caught Falma staring at him with a half-lidded expression.

“U-Um, hey, what’re you starin’ at me for?” Zelnite asked with a nervous laugh.

He could’ve sworn he saw Falma blush as he turned back to his food. What an odd man… “Er, nothing,” he waved off. “Just, uh… did you do something new with your hair?”

Might as well play along, the thief thought. “Heh. You noticed?”

Falma smiled and turned to him again, and to Zelnite’s surprise, he brushed a lock of his brunette wig to the side. “Looks good on you.”

"Ha-- Haha, thanks…!” That was too close…! “Are you almost done? I'm almost done,” he said, even though his plate was only half-finished.

"Yeah." Falma nodded, finishing up his own fried rice and apparently not noticing the discrepancy. "Lancia's always busy... It's getting crowded, so let's head back."

"Right." A perfect opportunity to escape. He got the info he needed for his next target. He could just slip into the crowd, and let Grafl deal with the confusion after. "Lancia, put mine on my tab, please!" 

“Grafl, we agreed I’ll be paying this time,” Falma said, placing the money for their meal on the counter. One nod and wink from the chef, and the two were slipping their way outta there. All according to plan. Now to get out through the side entrance--

"Grafl, careful! This way!" Before the thief could slip in a different direction under the guise of the crowd, he was suddenly grabbed by Falma and pulled through the main doors. Okay, no problem. Once they were outside, he could just slip out there...

... Only Falma's hand was still dragging him along the crowd. Rather tightly, too. This wasn't good. Sure, he could slip away from the airship if they got there, but, well, he preferred to not end up in a confrontation if Grafl happened to be there too. 

"Uh, ahem. Falma?" That got the knight's attention. With a surprised look, he turned to the thief-in-disguise.

"Oh, uh, s-sorry." He let go, but still kept an eye on his supposed friend. “Sorry, I… wasn’t thinking, and--”

"Oh no, you're fine. I just, er, I'll just head to the bathroom real quick..." He started to leave in another direction.

"Oh? Okay, let's find one together. You should've asked before we left the restaurant, though..."

"No, no, I'll be fine without guidance!"

"Nonsense. You get so easily lost, so I'll just go with you."

Okay, well, shoot. This guy was really adamant on following his friend around. Zelnite had to admit to himself that this was a real close-knit friendship they had going for them. He almost felt envy for them.

"Y'know, on second thought, I'm fine. I just needed to fix my hair" He shook his head, trying to think of another way to ditch the knight. "Why don't we..."

"Actually..." Falma interrupted.

"What is it?"

"I was thinking... Agni is pretty nice. I know we don't usually stray from our plans, but why don't we spend the day looking around some more? Do some sight-seeing, just you and me?”

"Mm... Okay...” The thief suppressed the urge to groan. “Isn’t it just you and me anyway...?”

“Heh. Yeah, I guess you’re right...” Falma chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was thinking maybe we could visit that one cathedral--”

“-- hey what's that?!" The thief pointed to something in the background, hoping Falma would turn around and give enough time for a swift escape. 

... But of course, no dice. Falma’s eyes merely narrowed as he gave a smug smirk. "Yeah, like I'll fall for that one again.”

“Haha... yeah, you’re always a smart one, Falma,” Zelnite laughed nervously. “Um, I dunno, maybe we could...? But I’m also gettin’ kinda tired...”

Falma smiled sympathetically and placed a hand on “Grafl’s” shoulder. “Ah, all right. The sight-seeing could wait. We’re staying here for a few days anyway. But first, let's at least go check out the market for supplies we might need. Then, I promise we can go back to the ship."

"Mm..." He reluctantly followed. What was he to do now? As much as he liked the comfortable disguise, it was starting to get hot. Did Grafl really have to always wear this scarf? Well, then again, the thief almost always wore his cloak, but that was on heists. Not to mention, the clothes he stole were starting to feel a little tight in comparison to his usual getup...

Oh, how he wanted to leave already! Anything would be better than shopping! If he could just have his way, he could be on his way to Bariura--

Oh. Wait a moment. Falma sounded like he wanted to go to Bariura too... Perhaps if Zelnite could just wait until he found the location of their airship, then sneak aboard and let Grafl and Falma work out the confusion... It would be a much easier journey! He never did get to ride an airship before, but it must be fun! It should be more fun that riding a regular ship, right? Zelnite looked over to Falma.

"How much for this necklace?" He was negotiating with a salesman. For a necklace, though? Wasn’t he supposed to be buying supplies? Oh well.

That’s okay, so he was busy. No problem... Maybe he could just find the ship himself? He gently tugged Falma’s arm and bought him closer to whisper in his ear. "Uh, oy, Falma, sorry, but can we go to the airship already? I'm, uh, getting hot..." That wasn't a total lie. Zelnite felt as if he were already getting dizzy from the heat.

"Huh? Oh, uh, really?" The knight seemed to be getting warm as well, as evident by his reddening face. No surprise considering that armor... Oh, and the glare from its reflection of the sun's rays must've been unbearable. "All right, give me a sec, okay?"

"Phew..." Zelnite fanned himself with his scarf. Just play it cool... Soon he could slip away and hide in the airship, and it would all be okay. Hopefully he wouldn't have to deal with complications, especially if the real Grafl were to catch up… Where could he be anyway? 

Falma didn't end up buying that necklace, but he did start pulling the thief along the crowd again, again by the shoulder. "Can you still bear it?" he asked, voice low.

"Hm? Uh, yeah, I'm fine." 

“You sound so flustered…”

Zelnite resisted the urge to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He was wearing makeup, after all. “Uh-- d-do I really?”

“Yeah… But don’t worry, I’ve got you…” His hand moved to the small of his back, gently guiding him forward once they were away from the crowd.

Soon they were outside the outskirts of the city and trekking into the woods. The noble thief felt a little more at home in his element, and the trees overhead provided a nice shade. It shouldn't be long now, should it? 

And there it was, the beauty that was the airship. He’d seen it before, and he remembered thinking it was smaller than he had anticipated, but it looked cozier that way. It sat in the middle of a small clearing, not a place to be easily disturbed.

Falma took him by the hand yet again and pulled him on deck, surprising him. "Y'know, if you were gonna tell me you needed... that, you could've been a little more subtle..."

"Eh?" Now they were going below deck, to the captain's quarters, he assumed. It wasn't too shabby, although Zelnite couldn’t help but notice the two hammocks were stationed rather closely together.

He turned in surprise to hear Falma shedding pieces of his armor onto the floor, rather haphazardly at that. Even once he had stripped down to just his undershirt and pants, he was starting to take his shirt off. “It really does get hot in the afternoon, huh, Grafl…?” he asked with a sigh.

“Uh-- y-yeah, it does…” Zelnite hesitantly agreed, lacking confidence in his voice as he carefully sat down on one of the hammocks. He was trapped. He’d been trapped in missions before, but never in one as awkward as this. It actually boggled his mind a little how awkward he felt. He was the Great Thief Zelnite! He should be brimming with confidence in a situation like this! Yet how come he was feeling himself lose that confidence, especially now that Falma was sitting down next to him-- wait, why was he--

“Aren’t you feeling hot too, Grafl?” Falma slyly smiled as he started to open up Zelnite’s jacket.

“W-What?” Zelnite hitched his breath, his arms not moving to his whim, allowing Falma to continue. “W-Wait, are you coming onto me?” Big mistake.

“What?” Falma looked at him in confusion before chuckling. “Oh. Very funny, Grafl. Come on, if you’re gonna be that needy, just hurry up and--”

“HOLD IT!!!”

Zelnite swore he felt his heart skip a beat as he and Falma looked to the doorway of the room. There stood the real Grafl, breathing heavily and very clearly pissed off.

“Wh--?!” Falma did a double take between the two Grafl’s. “Grafl?! W-What the hell is going on?!”

“That’s not me, Falma!!” Grafl took out his gun and aimed at Zelnite, who instinctively held his hands up. “And frankly, I’m offended! And you!! Who the hell do you think you are, stealing my date?!”

“Date--?!” Zelnite choked before clearing throat. “Er, date, huh…?” He smiled sheepishly, trying his best to keep an almost professional tone in his voice. Even in a situation like this, he couldn’t just let his thief persona falter! “Sorry, pal, I came to steal some valuable info, not your date! Although I gotta admit, you got good taste.”

As calmly as he could, Zelnite stood, taking in the priceless look of fury on Grafl’s face, and the likewise embarrassed look on Falma’s. Then, before Grafl could even think to pull the trigger, the Great Thief quickly slid under his arm, elbowing the pirate roughly in the stomach and knocking the gun from his hands. Wasting no time, Zelnite dashed past Grafl, shoving him aside just as Falma had recovered from his shock enough to get up.

Grinning to himself, Zelnite called over his shoulder as he reached the ship’s deck, “Sorry you got the short end of the stick! And the tab!” 

“Get back here!!” A ring of thunder echoed as a bolt of lightning zipped past Zelnite, yet he remained unfazed as he hopped onto the guardrail at the edge of the ship.

“Sorry, no can do~ See you around, lovebirds!” With that, the thief leapt over the railing, rolling upon landing on the ground and dashing off into the woods with Grafl still shooting at him.

It would’ve been nice to hitch a ride in that airship… I’m sure when things cool down, I can get back on later…! Although I’d hate to meet their gaze again…!~

Grafl grit his teeth as he lowered his gun, finally losing sight of Zelnite as he made his grand escape. A gentle breeze blew through the area, the sound of distant footsteps buried amongst that of rustling leaves on the forest floor. “Dammit…”

Falma joined him on the deck, shirt hastily put on and swords in his hands, watching alongside Grafl. “... He escaped, huh…”

“Yeah… That asshole took my clothes!!” Grafl shouted, letting out a frustrated groan. “And my date!! Graaaahh, it wasn’t worth it to check out that stupid store!!”

“Grafl, hey, calm down…” Falma said, trying to comfort him. “There’s always next time, yeah? I’ll make it up to you. I’ll buy you new clothes if you really want.”

Grafl sighed at Falma’s touch. “No… Forget it. Those clothes were old anyway. But I’ve only got those seven sets of clothes for the week.” He sighed again. “We’re tight on money too…”

A long pause ensued between the two as the wind began to blow again. Falma broke the silence.

“That’s fine. You don’t have wear anything for one day each week…” he murmured with a cough.

Grafl looked at him with disbelief before a smile slowly spread on his face. “You know, Fal… I think you ought to pay me back for that lousy date…” He looped an arm around the knight’s waist.

Falma returned it with a smirk of his own. “How about I repay that debt right now?~”

**Author's Note:**

> I bet it was really thundering that night, yeah? owo


End file.
